A Mogma By Any Other Name
by Saria Skye
Summary: When Eldin Volcano erupts for the first time and destroys the village that used to be below it. One lucky girl is saved by a Mogma who just happened to be nearby. Was it just chance that he was there, or was it destiny?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! So, this isn't the first story that I've ever written, but it is the first one I've ever posted. Hopefully it won't be the last. I welcome any kinds of comments. I've found in my experience not to be afraid of flames, because truth be told, probably not many people are even going to care enough to post a comment, let alone take the time to read this. So sure, flame away if you don't like it. I'll just be happy to see evidence that people are reading my stuff!**

**Mogmas and all LOZ places and things are the property of Nintendo blah blah blah. All I own are my OCs and my ideas for the Mogma's home. I hope you enjoy!  
**

This is a story from long ago, when humans used to live at the base of Eldin volcano. Back then the people didn't know the volcano was still active. It was just the ideal place for farmers to live. The fertile volcanic soil was ideal for growing the best of crops, and raising many kinds of livestock. They were known far and wide for producing the best food and milk around. They were a peaceful people, and lived happily – for a time. This is the story of the unforeseen disaster that befell them, and of the one girl who survived.

Cressa's morning started out like any other. She arose before the sun - like always, milked the cows - like always, and fed the cucco's - like always. Such was her routine every morning for as long as she could remember. Just like all other farm children, she was required to help with the chores once she was old enough, and these were just a few of them that her parents had assigned to her.

She really didn't mind the chores. Cressa knew how important it was to help out around the farm, for the sake of her's and her family's livelihood. However, she also knew that her little brother was almost old enough to start helping out as well, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to that.

After Cressa had finish spreading out all the feed for the cuccos, she wrapped up the sack she was carrying and headed back into the house to help her mother finish breakfast. Like always, she though with a roll of her deep onyx eyes and a toss of her curly, raven hair. It's not that she was unhappy with her life, but sometimes she just wished there was a little more excitement in it. She thought it would be nice to have a change from the old boring routine now and again.

"Cressa, could you please get the bread out of the oven for me? I think it's just about done." Her mother told her as she came into the kitchen. She was already busy frying eggs, and didn't want to have them burn.

"Yes ma'am," Cressa replied and picked up a couple of towels before opening the oven and removing the hot stone platter with her mother's freshly baked bread. She inhaled the aromas wafting from the bread with pleasure, before setting it on top of the oven to cool. People in the village would brag that her mother made the best bread in the whole world, and her family tended to agree with them. It was one of Cressa's favorite times of day. When the sun was just peaking up over the horizon and she had the pleasure of having breakfast with her family, eating her mother's famous bread with homemade butter.

It must have been this aroma that roused her little brother from bed, because only a couple minutes later he came toddling around the corner, yawning and rubbing his eyes with sleepiness.

"Is breakfast ready yet?" he mumbled as he slid into his seat at the table.

"Almost, now Thomas before you get too comfortable, why don't you help your sister set the table before your father comes in?" her mother suggested.

Thomas groaned his displeasure, but arose non-the-less. "Yes ma'am," he answered and grabbed a stack of plates from the cupboard. It was clear that Thomas was not going to enjoy getting up early to do chores as much as his sister.

They had almost finished setting the table when their father strode into the room. "Mmmmmm, smells good in here!" he bellowed and pulled off his heavy boots with a thud.

Their mother smiled at him. "You say that every morning dear," she reminded him.

"Ah yes, and yet every morning it is as true as the last," he grinned and ambled over to his wife, giving her a tender kiss on the side of her head. Thomas made a face, but it made Cressa smile.

Her father was a very large man that dwarfed his wife, and yet he always tried to be as gentle and considerate of her as possible. He was generally a pretty jolly and easygoing man, and tended to let the misdeeds of his children slide rather than discipline them, as the other townsfolk felt he should. While it wouldn't have hurt Thomas to receive some extra correction, Cressa was her father's precious jewel and he would retaliate saying that she could not have turned out more perfect.

Now Cressa knew she was far from perfect, but she did try her best to stay out of trouble and please her parents. Thomas on the other hand only became more mischievous with age. He took after his father in the sense that he was rather laid back, but he would rather play than work, which many people saw as a bad habit. Thomas also looked to have inherited his father's stature, for he was almost as tall as Cressa even though he was several years her junior.

Cressa on the other hand took after her mother. She was rather petite for her age, and for now only stood as tall as her mother's shoulders. She was hoping to grow a little taller as she got older, but for now it was hard to tell how much bigger she would get. Being short wasn't exactly a blessing when you lived on a farm.

"Well my love, instead of just complementing on the way the food smells, why don't you have a seat so we can all enjoy some breakfast," their mother suggested merrily.

"By gosh you're right! No sense standing around chatting while breakfast gets cold! Let's eat!" their father bellowed enthusiastically as he plopped himself down in his chair at the head of the table. Everyone else sat down around him as he grabbed a big loaf of bread and began to spread butter on it.

After breakfast was finished, Thomas went out with his father to watch and learn how he worked in the fields and with the livestock. Meanwhile, Cressa helped her mother put away the remaining food for later and gather up all the dirty dishes into a large basket. One of Cressa's other chores was to wash all of the dishes in the nearby spring after each meal. Living near a volcano meant that fresh water was not an abundant resource. Even so, the villagers did have access to several small springs that were located just outside and around the village.

When Cressa had all the dishes loaded into the basket, she hoisted it onto her back. And with a bar of homemade soap from her mother, she set out for the nearest spring.

As much as Cressa loved spending quality time with her family during meals, she also very much enjoyed the quiet, alone time she experienced when doing the dishes. At this time of day there would be no other people within at least a mile of the spring, and all she could hear was the gentle sound of flowing water and the soft chirping of the songbirds.

Cressa set her basket down right at the edge of the pool that the spring created as it came flowing out the side of the rock face. She pulled out a plate and the bar of soap and began scrubbing off the stuck on food. Then when she finished, she would set the dish on a rock in the sun to dry.

Even though she knew she was completely alone, there were times when Cressa was here doing dishes that the creepy feeling that she was being watched would shiver down her spine. Then she couldn't help but turn her head to look, only find the vast landscape staring back at her. She knew she was being silly, but the feeling was so overpowering that at times she couldn't help it.

She especially got the feeling when she would sing along with her scrubbing. Sometimes she would pretend it was a secret admirer watching her, but he was just too shy to let her see him. It made her laugh when she thought about it, such a ridiculous notion. However, she did very much enjoy singing while she worked, and so she began to sing one of her favorite songs. It was a song that her mother used to sing to her brother and her as a lullaby before they went to sleep.

(_To be sung to the tune of Zelda's lullaby)_

Goddess on high, please hear my plea

Bless my home, my children and me

Make my fields stay green and strong

And help the days be long

However, as she sang, little did she know that today was not going to be like other days. In fact no one could have sensed the imminent danger that they were all in as the magma below the volcano was about to reach it's rupture point!

No sooner had Cressa finished her song that the earth beneath her feet began to rumble in a very odd way. It began gently at first, and she looked around with a confused expression trying to find the source. After a minute the rumbling became much more intense. Cressa leapt to her feet and gawked around in shock as the dishes she had so carefully placed to dry were now leaping off their respective stones and crashing to the ground, shattering instantly.

She had never experienced anything like this, and she was very frightened as the ground's convulsing became so intense that she was having trouble keeping her balance. Then, when she thought things couldn't get any worse, she heard a deafening explosion, and looked up to her complete horror to see burning, red hot liquid gushing out of the top of the mountain that overshadowed her village. Rocks were raining down from above, and a black cloud of soot was darkening the sky.

Cressa didn't know what to do! She was scared out of her wits and felt completely helpless as all she could do was watch the flood of burning liquid slowing make its way toward her village. She had to warn the villagers, her family, she had to try to help! Cressa broke out into a run, doing her best to dodge the debris. Unfortunately she didn't make it far. The intense shaking of the earth got the better of her, and she tripped, her head banging against a large rock on the ground. The last thing she remembered seeing was the burning fluid just reaching the edge of village before she lost consciousness.

Maybe it was coincidence, or maybe destiny, who can say for sure? But Cressa _was_ lucky enough to have someone watching her that day. Someone she didn't even know existed, but who had been living just under her feet for even longer than the village had been there.

**Well, there's the first Chapter. I know not very long or exciting. The good stuff starts next Chapter. Please review if you feel like it! I know it would make me happy!**

**;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, here's Chapter 2. Just so you know, I get much of my inspiration from the _Redwall_ book series and from various Disney movies. So if something doesn't make sense, just think about what other famous published authors can get away with not making sense in their own books and stories, lol. Also, you can always just ask me to clarify something if you want. I'll be happy to respond.**

**Insert usual disclaimer here. Enjoy!  
**

"-keep that cold pack on her head-" … "-stop moving around so much-" … "-sure this is such a good idea, Kortz-"

Cressa was just making out voices around her. She didn't know if they were real, or if she was dreaming. The horrible throbbing in her head felt real enough and it made her wish that the voices would stop. She wanted to sink back into the darkness where the pain would go away.

"-what are we gonna do with her-"

As much as she was trying to ignore the talking, that last statement got her attention. What did they mean 'what are we gonna do with her'? Where was she anyway? Cressa did her best to try and remember, but her pounding head was making thinking difficult. With great reluctance, she attempted to open her eyes to find out where she was.

"Hey, hey! I think she's coming around," she heard.

Cressa slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was sort of hazy, but what she thought she saw was someone with a long, pointed nose smiling down at her. But that couldn't be possible! People didn't have long, pointed noses. She squinted up at – whatever it was – to try and get a better look. It didn't look like a person. It looked like an animal. Was she going crazy?

Then to her complete astonishment, it spoke! "Yo! How ya feeling?" it asked.

Cressa suddenly became completely aware. Her eyes popped open and she let out a yelp of surprise. She quickly realized this thing was holding her, and on impulse she struggled to get free. She must have surprised it too, because the thing dropped her. She hit the ground with a thud and scooted away from it until she backed into a wall. With eyes as big as dinner plates she frantically glanced around the room, her pain temporarily forgotten due to the rush of adrenaline.

She was in a dimly lit room that she guessed was a bedroom, due to the presence of a bed in the corner. It looked as if the room was made entirely of earth, and there was a large cloth hanging over the opening in place of a door. There were a total of four of the things in the room, and they were all staring at her. She had no idea how she got here, in fact she was having trouble remembering anything at this point. That must have something to do with the pain in her head, but she at least knew that she was human, and these things were definitely not!

"She's a bit jumpy don't ya think?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, and she's so weird looking, all hairless and skinny. You really sure you know what you're doing Kortz?" another one added. They were talking to the one that was originally holding her.

"Hey, come on guys, be nice," he told the other two.

They moved closer to get a better look at her. Cressa held her breath and froze as one of them stuck his nose right in her face and sniffed at her. This one had blonde hair and she could see that he had freckles dotting his nose and cheekbones. At least, she thought it was a 'he'. The thing then reached out and grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away from the wall. She was about to struggle for all she was worth, but then she realized all he was doing was studying her hand.

"I mean, look at these hands. They're so small and frail. How's she supposed to do any work with these?" it asked skeptically.

Frail!? Cressa suddenly felt more offended then scared. "Hey-" she attempted to protest, but she was cut short when the other one grabbed her foot and pulled her onto her back. It was then she realized that she wasn't wearing any shoes. She couldn't even remember if she owned shoes!

"And she's got little feet too," the other one commented feeling her feet and poking at them. "They're so smooth. How is she gonna grip the ground?" he asked. Cressa was suddenly made very aware that she had rather sensitive feet. Because as this thing was messing with them she could feel bubbling laughter making its way up from her belly, and she couldn't hold it in.

She burst out laughing. "Wait a minute! S-stop it! That tickles!" she exclaimed through her laughing.

"Knock it off you two! You're overwhelming the poor girl." The one that had been holding her scolded the other two. That distracted them long enough for her to struggle free. She jumped to her feet and dashed around behind him. This one seemed to have her best interests in mind more or less, and she hoped he would offer a measure of protection from the other two. He turned to look at her and smiled with an amused expression.

"Where am I? How-how did I get here?" she demanded of them. They didn't get a chance to answer before a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her head. Cressa let out a cry and held her head in her hands. She couldn't believe how badly her head hurt. "Could someone please tell me what happened to me?" she asked, sounding upset.

The creatures, well now that she had gotten a better look at them, they looked to her like moles, giant talking moles. They all glanced around at each other. The one that had been holding her, he had red hair that came down into his face and covered his right eye, he answered her.

"You mean, you don't remember?" he asked.

"I-I-can't-" Cressa stared down at the floor concentrating, trying to remember _something_! But nothing would come, and the harder she tried, the worse her head would throb.

"Do you even know your name?" the other one asked. Cressa glanced up at him. This one had short brown hair and a dark mask of fir around his eyes.

"Uhhh," she stammered, wracking her brain. She knew she had to have a name! What was it? "Cr-Cressa," she managed. She was pretty certain that was her name. It sounded familiar at least.

"Well, what do you know? It has a name," the blonde one teased. Cressa glared at him.

"Alright, that's enough. Pressing her for questions is just going to make her headache worse. She needs to rest for a while before then," the fourth mole-creature in the room finally spoke up. This one seemed like a lady-mole to Cressa. She walked over to where Cressa was crouched and held out her paw-like hand.

"Come dearie; let's get you to the bed. You've taken a pretty nasty hit to the head and you need to lie down for a while. Kortz hand me the cold pack." She instructed. The lady-mole then helped Cressa up and over to the bed. She laid her down and put a bag of something cold on the side of her head where it hurt the most. She then took Cressa's hand and placed it over the bag. "Hold that there for a while. It will help with the pain." She said.

Cressa obeyed, her head hurt too much to argue, and these moles didn't seem like they were bad. They seemed like they were trying to help her, so what else could she do, really?

"Now then Kortz, since you're the one that brought her here, she's your responsibility. You need to stay here and watch over her. Make sure she doesn't fall asleep. I don't think I need to remind you of what may happen if she does," the lady-mole warned. That sounded a little worrisome. "As for the rest of you, out! The girl needs her rest." She lectured.

At that, the other two began protesting. "Awww, come on Ira! We wanna stay too! It's not fair only Kortz gets to stay!" things like that.

But she wouldn't hear of it, and proceeded to push them out the door. The cloth fell back down behind them and then there was silence.

Cressa watched as the one that was left pulled up a stool and sat down beside the bed. He just stared at her for a long moment, like he was studying her. She blinked back at him. The silence was starting to turn awkward, so she decided that now maybe she could get some questions answered.

"So," she began. "You're name is Kortz?" she asked hesitantly. His face brightened and he nodded. "And, you're the one that brought me here?" she added.

"That's right!" he told her.

"He totally saved your life!" she heard someone else exclaim, and the other two guys suddenly burst back into the room. Kortz turned and glared at them.

"Didn't Ira tell you two to get lost?" he asked.

"Come on Kortz, nothing exciting ever happens around here!" "Yeah, this is the first time we've ever seen a human up close," they chattered, as they came and sat down around the bed. Kortz let out a long sigh.

"Cressa, this is Bronzi and Ledd," Kortz told her, pointing to the blonde one, then the brown-haired one, respectively.

Cressa looked from one to the other and then slowly sat up, it felt too awkward lying down to carry on a conversation. "I hope I'm not being rude by asking this, but-" the three of them focused on her. "Where exactly is here? And, uh, what are you?" she ventured.

They grinned at each other before answering. "Why, you're in the underground camp of the Mogma tribe." Bronzi told her.

"Yeah, and we're the Mogmas!" Ledd added, which caused the other two to roll their eyes.

"Mogmas? Under. . . ground?" she asked sounding uncertain and glancing around the room once again. "I guess that makes sense," she decided.

"So, you're not scared of us?" Bronzi asked.

Cressa thought about that for a minute. She had been at first, but these guys didn't seem malicious, just curious. And they were trying to help her, so— "I don't think so, should I be. I mean you guys aren't going to eat me or anything like that are you?" Now that she thought about it, maybe they _were_ just keeping her alive for a certain reason.

They glanced around at each other before they all started laughing. Now Cressa felt embarrassed.

"Eat you!? That's a good one! What do we look like monsters or something?" Bronzi asked.

"Well I just-" Cressa didn't know how to respond to that. She hadn't meant to imply that they were monsters!

"Come on Bronzi, she didn't mean it like that," Kortz defended for her.

"So then, why did you bring me here?" she said to Kortz specifically.

"Oh, well, you were in trouble, and so I-" he stammered, placing a hand behind his head.

"He saved you cuz he's got a huge crush on you," Bronzi teased.

Kortz got a horrified look on his face and started waving his hands around, and shaking his head, attempting to get Bronzi to stop talking.

"Yeah, he couldn't bear the thought of you burning under a lake of lava." Ledd added with a grin.

"Guys! Knock it off!" Kortz exclaimed.

"Lava?" Cressa looked confused. She had never heard that word before.

"Yeah, you know, when the volcano erupted," Ledd told her.

"Volcano-" Cressa trailed pensively. She lowered her eyes to stare into her lap. "I remember – something bad happened."

"Well that's putting it lightly. If Kortz hadn't gotten you out of there when he did, you wouldn't have survived. Especially since you got knocked out when you tripped and fell," Bronzi told her.

"But, how did you even know I was in trouble in the first place?" she asked.

"Because Kortz loves to hear you sing by the spring," Bronzi told her.

At this, poor Kortz covered his face with his hands in embarrassment. He clearly was not comfortable with them sharing all this with her, but there was nothing he could do short of dragging them from the room.

"Sing by the spring," Cressa repeated. This was all sounding so familiar…

"You would come to the spring every morning to wash dishes, remember?" Ledd explained.

It was so strange that these – Mogmas – seemed to know more about her then she did. She thought hard about what they had told her – the spring, singing, the volcano, the earth shaking. She suddenly remembered how the earth had shook, and how terrified she felt. Recognition flashed across her face. The Mogmas noticed her change in expression.

"Do you remember something?" Kortz asked.

"The ground was shaking, and I remember dishes falling and breaking. And a burning liquid, lava, bursting out the top of the mountain, and a black cloud, and falling rocks." It was all coming back, and fast. The horrible sickening feeling that she had felt as the lava rushed toward her village – the village! "My, my village! My family!" she exclaimed suddenly.

The Mogmas were giving her concerned expressions, but she wasn't paying too much attention to them. She felt the sickening feeling returning, and a sense of dread at the unknown. Cressa was suddenly frantic. She dropped the cold bag from her head, scrambled out of the bed, and rushed toward the door.

"Hey, wait a minute! Where do you think you're going?" Kortz demanded, as Cressa reached the door and pulled back the cloth only to find she was in the middle of an underground maze. Tunnels stretched in all directions. She could be lost forever down here, without a guide.

Cressa whirled back around to find the Mogmas studying her curiously. "You have to take me back! I need to see if my family is okay!" she told them.

They looked at each other as if unsure of what to say. "I don't know how to tell you this girlie, but there's nothing left up there. Whatever didn't escape the lava flow is probably buried under piles of rock and ash. It's a wasteland." Bronzi explained.

Cressa's expression fell. She could feel hot tears burning behind her eyes. "I have to find out for sure! Please, please won't you take me?" she pleaded taking a couple steps toward Kortz, and staring at him with solemn eyes.

He looked sympathetic, but, "I can't. It's way too dangerous up there right now. Maybe after the lava finishes cooling…" Cressa didn't wait for him to finish.

"No! I have to know now!" she exclaimed and dashed out the door.

"Cressa wait!" Kortz yelled after her, but it was too late.

"Oh perfect, now she's gonna stir up the whole camp!" Bronzi muttered.

"You just saved her, and now she's headed out to get herself killed," Ledd said grinning.

"This isn't funny!" Kortz lectured and sighed. "I'll go after her."

"I guess you have to. She is _your_ responsibility, after all," Bronzi said with a smirk.

"You don't have to remind me," Kortz snapped and darted after her.

**Please Read and Review. I'd really like to know what people think! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, here's chapter 3 for my few followers! Enjoy!**

**Read the disclaimer! (It's in the first chapter.)**

Cressa had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get to her family. They could still be alive; they could be in trouble. She didn't know, but she had to find out. She went twisting and turning through passage after passage, getting more lost and panicked as she went. Several other rooms passed her by on her way. There were rooms with long tables and benches, rooms with multiple beds, and a large open room that seemed relatively empty.

It wasn't until she burst into a room with more Mogmas that she came to a sudden halt, almost running into the back of one. They all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her with some measure of surprise at her sudden appearance, and for a moment nobody moved. Thinking fast, Cressa decided to try just slowly backing her way out of the room. Then as soon as she was in the clear, she could turn around and dash away. There was no telling if these Mogmas were going to be as – considerate – as the others, and she didn't want to take any chances.

She began to inch her way backwards. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far. After a few steps, she backed up into something very large and hairy. 'Oh no!' she thought as the Mogmas in the room stopped looking at her and focused on whoever was behind her.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" she heard before whoever it was grabbed her by the arm. He spun her around to get a better look at her. She tried to struggle free, but to no avail. He was too strong for her.

"It looks like one of those human-things, but how did it get down here?" one of them asked. The one that was holding her had a blue Mohawk. He eyed her curiously before pulling her a little closer and sniffing her. On impulse, Cressa strained herself away from him.

"Oh yeah, I heard that Kortz rescued one of them when the volcano erupted and brought it down here," another one of them said.

"Is that so? And it seems that no one's told it that it can't just go wandering around the camp as it pleases," the one holding her scolded inadvertently. With a flick of his wrist he tossed her to another one of the Mogmas in the room.

The one that caught her was blonde too, but had considerably less hair than Bronzi. "What do you suppose we should do with it?" he asked. When Cressa heard that, a panicked look flashed across her face. What was going to happen to her now?

"Aw, come on you guys. The poor thing looks terrified," another one of the Mogmas in the room said. This one had dark blonde hair that was so long that it covered both his eyes.

"Don't worry Silva. We won't do anything _too_ terrible to it. Will we Merco?" the Mogma with the blue Mohawk taunted.

"Naw, it'll take all the fun out of it if it passes out or something like that," the one holding her said, flashing an evil grin.

Cressa felt as if she was going to pass out right now! Never in her life had she felt more helpless and _alone_. She was seriously regretting running off on Kortz and the others, and now they probably didn't know where she was. How could she have been so stupid?

As if on cue, Bronzi strode into the room. "Hey guys, you haven't seen a-" he stopped mid-sentence when he spotted Cressa. She was staring at him with pleading eyes. "Oh hey, there you are. We've been looking everywhere for you! You wanna let her go now Merco?" he insisted.

The Mogma released her arm, and she bolted over to Bronzi, incredibly grateful to see someone familiar, no matter how briefly familiar! She cowered beside him and pressed herself against him as close as she could. Cressa was gasping for breath, and she realized the reason she felt like passing out before was because she had subconsciously stopped breathing!

Bronzi looked down at her with an expression that looked both startled and confused. "What did you guys do to her?" he asked sounding concerned.

"We were just having a little fun," the blue Mohawk Mogma said with a mischievous smirk.

"Yeah, I can see that," Bronzi said.

"I told them to be nice, but they never listen to me," the Mogma with the long hair told him.

"I'm sure you did Silva," Bronzi then turned to look down at Cressa again. "So girlie, have we learned anything?" he asked sarcastically. Cressa looked up at him with a remorseful expression and nodded. "Good, you can relax now. These guys aren't going to hurt you despite whatever they said. So why don't you come out, and I'll introduce you?" he coaxed her.

Cressa's breathing had returned to normal at this point, so she slowly un-crouched herself and stood next to Bronzi, though she didn't move very far away from him. "You'll have to forgive me, if I don't just take your word for it right away," she said with an edge in her tone.

"Hey what-da-ya-know! It can talk!" This Mogma had a green top-knot on his head that looked sort of silly when Cressa thought about it.

"Of course she can. It's not like she's a dumb beast," Bronzi told him. "Anyway, Cressa this is Merco, Cobal, and Silva," Bronzi said motioning to the Mogmas he was naming. She made mental notes as he went. Merco was the other blonde one. Cobal had the green top-knot. And Silva was the nicer one with the long hair. "And this crazy one over here is Nackle." Nackle had the blue Mohawk, and Cressa believed Bronzi when he said that he was crazy. "Guys, meet Cressa."

"Hey! I'm not crazy, I'm just passionate about expressing myself," Nackle stated proudly.

"Yeah, right, passionate about being crazy," Bronzi muttered to Cressa.

"I heard that!" Nackle complained, which made the others laugh. Cressa couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"Oh finally! Ledd, she's down here! Bronzi found her," they all suddenly heard from down the hall. Cressa and Bronzi turned to see Kortz and Ledd coming down the hall. When Kortz reached her, he took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "What were you thinking, running off like that? You could've gotten hurt, or worse! Don't you ever do that again!" he lectured.

Cressa was surprised at the concern she heard in his voice, as if he had been really worried about her. He had the same expression on his face that her mother had when she had wandered away from her once when she was little. It didn't make sense. How could this Mogma creature care for her when they had only just met? She studied him with a curious look.

"You don't have to worry about that, cuz she _did_ run into something worse," Bronzi spoke up, and motioned toward the Mogmas in the room. Both Kortz and Ledd glanced around the corner to see who he was referring to.

"Yo! What's up guys?" Merco asked casually while Nackle rolled his eyes.

Ledd grinned. "Oh you don't have to worry about them," he told Cressa. "They wouldn't hurt a fly, unless of course they were going to eat it."

Cobal made a face. "I don't know about you guys, but I draw the line at flies!" he said.

Kortz cast a stern look at Bronzi. "What do you mean? What did they do?" he asked.

Cressa spoke up before anyone had a chance to answer. "It's alright Kortz. I don't want to make any trouble. Besides, they were only teasing." She explained, but with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Bronzi grinned, "Well, that's really mature of you, which is more than I can say for this lot," he said eying the guys in the room.

"Whatever man!" Merco protested. Then the four Mogmas in the room returned to their previous activities.

Cressa turned back to Kortz. "I'm sorry for taking off like I did, I know it was stupid. I just-" she trailed off for a minute and adverted her gaze. Ledd and Bronzi were both listening as well. "I know that Bronzi is probably right, but," she took a deep, shaky breath. "I need to see for myself. I need to know if my family – if anyone else from my village was able to make it away from the volcano. Please, _please_ won't you take me?" she begged him.

Kortz sighed and ran and hand through his hair. The others were watching him to see what he'd do. "Alright, you win. I'll take you as close as I can. Follow me and stay close, alright?" he instructed.

Cressa gave him a small smile and nodded. "Thank you," she said. He smiled back at her.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Kortz?" Bronzi asked sounding concerned.

"We'll be fine. Trust me," he said and headed off down the hall. Cressa cast a questioning look toward Bronzi, wondering why this was a bad idea. His response was just to motion her down the hall after Kortz. So she turned and hurried after him.

After wandering around the underground maze for what seemed like an eternity. They finally came to a stop at what seemed to Cressa like a dead end. As they had been traveling, Cressa noticed that down every corridor lanterns had been placed along the walls to enable them to see where they were going as they went.

It got her thinking that these tunnels had possibly been there for a long time, and were frequently used by the Mogmas. Obviously there was a tunnel that led to where her village was, and that was the one they were taking. She remembered what Bronzi and Ledd had said, about how Kortz would listen to her sing while she washed dishes. Maybe she hadn't been so crazy after all, thinking that she was being watched.

"Um Kortz?" she said getting his attention. His ears perked at the sound of her voice. Cressa couldn't see it, but the sound of her saying his name caused him to grin.

"Mmmm?" he replied sounding nonchalant.

"So exactly how long have you been coming out here to watch me do dishes?" she asked. He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, and Cressa almost ran into the back of him.

"Well, I, uh – for a little while now," he told her as he turned and gave her a sheepish grin. He seemed to be taking this okay, so she decided to press him further.

"And how did you know I even went to that spring to do dishes?" she went on.

"Uh," he laughed nervously and put a hand behind his head. "I was passing by one day, and I heard you singing. I wanted to get a better look, and – well – you sing so pretty that I, uh -" he stammered. He was adverting his gaze and fidgeting. It was obvious that talking about this was embarrassing for him. Cressa smiled. She thought it was kind of cute, in spite of herself.

"You really think I sing pretty?" she asked.

"Yeah! I mean, I think so anyway. I hope – I mean, you don't find this creepy or anything, do you?" he asked with a hopeful expression.

"No, actually I think it's kind of, flattering," she confessed. He looked relieved and happy at the same time when he heard that. Neither of them knew what else to say afterward, and it didn't take long for the silence to turn awkward.

"So, um, we should keep moving," Kortz said finally. He turned around and kept walking.

"Yeah okay," Cressa agreed.

However, now they were stopped at a dead end, and Cressa was confused.

"Okay, so now what? How are we supposed to get out of here?" she asked skeptically. She was ready to get out from underground and breathe some fresh air.

Kortz turned his head to look at her, and gave her a knowing smile. She didn't know it, but he was thinking that her ignorance was cute. "Well, the only way out of here is to dig out," he told her. Cressa flashed him a confused look.

"You mean, you don't have any permanent openings to any of these tunnels?" she asked.

"No, we can't. We don't want to risk any – unwelcome – guests into the camp. We always rebury any openings to help keep our home a secret," he explained.

"So you mean, nobody knows that this place exists except for Mogmas?"

"I guess you could say that we're not very trusting. Is that really so surprising?" Kortz asked.

Cressa thought about this for a minute. "I suppose not. I mean, I'd heard about other races besides humans living in this land when I was growing up. I just had never seen anything else before. It's hard to imagine that you're race has been living just under our feet all this time, and yet no one had even the slightest idea that you were here," she confessed.

"Yeah, well, we're pretty good at hiding." He told her. "You might want to stand back for a minute," he warned. Cressa took a few paces back, and Kortz began clawing at the earth above his head.

It didn't take him long before he had a decent sized hole punched through the roof. The evening sun came streaming down into the tunnel, and both of them squinted as their eyes adjusted to the light. Cressa hadn't even realized it was evening until now. When she thought about it, she didn't even know if it was evening of that same day, or the next day. Her sense of time was all mixed up down here.

"Alright, you can climb up now, but just let me tell you, it's not a pretty sight," he warned.

She nodded her understanding, and scrambled up the pile of dirt that Kortz had made and out the hole. The sight that met her eyes seemed almost horrific. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out in dismay. The landscape was scorched beyond recognition. Even though they were a ways away from the volcano, she knew that normally she would be able to see her village from here. But now, now there was nothing left, nothing but a sea of ash where her village had once been.

Bronzi had been right. The devastation was so vast, that it seems nothing could have escaped it, and Cressa had to finally face the horrible truth. Her family, and everyone else in her village, was gone, consumed by the wrath of the volcano. She was alone.

Cressa hit her knees as big, wet tears began to streak down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. What was she going to do now? It felt as if half of her heart was missing, a part of her that she could never get back.

Cressa dropped her hands and stared at them with bleary eyes. They were covered in dirt that was now mixing with her tears and turning to mud. It wasn't until now that she realized how dirty she was. If her mother had seen her like this, she would have been furious. Her dress was all but ruined. But that didn't really matter now, nothing did. She didn't want to go on living, but what choice did she have, thanks to Kortz, she thought bitterly.

Speaking of which, she suddenly felt him place his hand over hers. She pulled it away before turning to look at him to see what he wanted. He was still halfway underground so she could only see the top half of him. "We should go," he told her solemnly.

"Just leave me alone," she sobbed and turned back towards the field of destruction.

"Cressa we can't stay here! It's too dangerous," he said with a more serious tone. He also had an edge of anxiousness in his voice. Whatever, it didn't really matter anymore…

So Cressa allowed him to pull her back down into the hole. She watched with gloomy eyes as he packed the dirt back up around the hole and reburied the entrance. "Come on, let's go," he said when he finished and took hold of her wrist, leading her back toward the camp.

They were silent for the entire way back, which suited Cressa just fine. She didn't really feel like talking. In fact, she didn't really feel like talking ever again.

They were just coming back into the main camp when suddenly, Cressa was jumped by two Mogmas that she didn't recognize. She yelped as they grabbed her and bound her hands behind her back. "You're coming with us, human!" one of them commanded. Cressa flashed a scared look at Kortz.

"Hey, what's going on? Why are you doing that? She isn't going to hurt anybody!" Kortz asked angrily.

The other Mogma gave him a smirk. "That's not what it's for. It's to keep her from running away," he explained.

"Where are you taking her?" Kortz demanded.

"The Elder has called all together for a meeting, and it's about what is to become of the human," he told him.

At that, Cressa turned to back to look at Kortz with a questioning and worried expression. He did his best to hide his own concern, but she could already tell that he didn't know what was going to happen either. However he did his best to comfort her non-the-less. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be okay," he said.

"Hmm, maybe," the other two Mogmas smirked at each other, before shoving her along in front of them.

They brought her into what seemed like a large meeting hall. There were Mogmas sitting along earthen benches all around the outside of the room, like a large arena, and she was in the center with all attention focused on her. Also, in the center of the room was what appeared to be a raised seat with desk in front of it. An old Mogma with long silvery hair climbed up into it and sat down. When he did, Cressa's two captors forced her to her knees. She assumed that this must be their Elder.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cressa saw Kortz sneak into the room and take a seat at the end of the bottom bench. Was he going to let her face all of this on her own? A short, fat little Mogma with purple hair then scuttled up to where the Elder was seated. He flashed her an evil look, and then he spoke.

"Attention, attention!" he called, attempting to get all of the murmuring to quiet down. "Our illustrious Elder Guld wishes to speak!" The room then fell into an eerie silence.

"Thank you, Plats." The elder droned. "As most of you are probably aware, I have called you all here to discuss the issue of this human whose been brought among us."

"If I may speak, your Grace?" the little purple-haired Mogma asked.

"Yes, very well Plats," the Elder sighed.

"I feel that this human's presence is a danger to our whole tribe! We should eradicate it as quickly as possible," he announced. Cressa could hear some of the Mogmas murmuring in agreement, while others glanced around at each other looking confused.

"NO! You can't do that!" Everyone suddenly turned to the corner of the room. Kortz sprang up out of his seat and dashed over to Cressa. The other two Mogmas backed off a little, so he could stand right behind her. "Sir, please. It isn't her fault. I brought her here to save her from the volcano. If you need to punish someone, punish me, but please don't hurt the girl," he pleaded, placing a protective hand over the back of her neck.

"Well, it would have been better if you had left her with the rest of her kind," Plats snarled.

"You mean left her to die!? You worm! How can you possibly justify-" Kortz didn't get a chance to finish before the elder cut him off.

"Enough! This bickering is getting us nowhere," he lectured. "Now Kortz, you understand that Plats does have a point. You have endangered us all by bringing that human here."

"Yes sir. But I couldn't just leave her. That would have been, wrong. I mean, what would you have done in my place?" he asked. That caused more mumbling from the crowd, and a sharp glare from Plats. The elder looked pensive and stroked his beard.

"Hmmm, perhaps you are right. You're intensions were good, and we are not a people who scoff at the preservation of life." The elder peered down at Cressa, studying her. "This human girl does not seem malicious."

At that, Plats leaned over and talked quietly to the elder, but not so quiet so that Kortz and Cressa didn't catch what he said. "Your Grace, I should probably warn you. I have heard that the human has already attempted to escape once." They both glared at the little snipe, because they both knew that wasn't true, not exactly anyway.

"Yes, yes Plats. I understand, but now I wish to hear the opinions of my fellow Mogmas. Based on what you have heard here, how do you feel we should deal with this human?" the elder presented the question to the room.

At first there was silence. The Mogmas were looking around at each other, unsure of how to respond. Then the murmurings began again.

" - can't we just send it away? - " " - it's seen too much, we can't just let it go - " " - it can't stay here, what are we supposed to do with it - " " - maybe Kortz should have just left it alone - " " if it leaves, where's it gonna go? Wasn't the whole human village destroyed? - "

This went on for a couple of minutes. It made Cressa wonder if anyone was going to speak up with a definite opinion. Until finally, opinions started coming from a very unlikely source.

"Well I like her! I think she should stay with us," Ledd spoke up suddenly with a big grin, and the entire room shifted their attention over to him.

"Yeah, I guess she's okay, once you get past the weird smell," Bronzi commented, and then looked right at Cressa and gave her a smile and a wink.

"I wouldn't mind if she stays," Silva said.

"Me neither," Cobal added.

"She's cool with me," Merco said before casting a glance at Nackle who appeared to be studying his digging claws. He elbowed him in the side.

Nackle grunted then glared at Merco who gave him a stern look. Nackle rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay fine! She's alright with me too," he admitted. Cressa was, to say the least, surprised at all the support. She looked up at Kortz who was casting a grateful look at the guys. She guessed he wasn't expecting this either.

"And you agree with them, Kortz?" the elder asked.

"Yes sir. I do," he replied.

"Well little human, it seems that you've already had quite the influence on the young men of our tribe," the elder told her with amusement. "And I have to say that I agree with them as well."

"But, but your Grace!" Plats exclaimed sounding dismayed.

"Be still Plats. Kortz was trying to do the right thing by offering this human girl sanctuary. However, now she has seen too much. For the safety of our people we cannot allow her to leave, even if she had somewhere to go. Therefore Kortz, I am placing her under your charge. From this moment on she is not to go anywhere without an escort. Even so, she is not to be treated as a prisoner, but as a guest, understood?" the elder asked, particularly eying Plats.

Plats glared at the floor. "Yes your Grace," he muttered.

"So Kortz, if you would be so kind as to remove the human's bonds. I will now announce this meeting as adjourned. Good day to you all," the elder finished, and began to climb down out of his seat. The rest of the Mogmas began to disperse as well, but most of them kept their eyes firmly locked onto Cressa as they left.

Kortz then bent down and untied the ropes that bound her. As soon as she was loose, Cressa began to rub at her wrists. Red marks had been left in them from where the bonds had cut into her. Those other two Mogmas had tied them unnecessarily tight, and now they were sore. Kortz then moved around and knelt down in front of her. He took her hands in his and inspected her wrists, then began rubbing them for her.

"Sorry about that. Like I said, we're not very trusting," he told her. Cressa just looked off into the distance with a blank expression. When most of the Mogmas had left, Ledd and Bronzi came over to where they were.

"I think that went well, don't you?" Ledd asked.

"Yeah, except that Plats wasn't too pleased." Bronzi commented.

"What's he going to do about it? The Elder granted Cressa sanctuary here, and you know he'd never do anything against the Elder's wishes," Kortz reminded them. He rose and smiled at his friends. "Thanks a lot guys for speaking up. I was getting a little worried there for a minute," he confessed. The other two grinned at him.

"Hey, it was no problem. What are friends for?" Ledd told him.

Bronzi was studying Cressa. She still had the zombie look on her face and was staring off at nothing. "Hey, is she gonna be alright?" he asked.

Kortz bent down again and studied her face. "Cressa, are you okay?" he asked, taking her face in one hand. Cressa felt too physically and emotionally drained to answer. Her eyelids drooped and she slumped over into his hand. Kortz looked surprised and gathered her up in his arms. Cressa moaned at being moved before she resettled.

Bronzi laughed, "She's just exhausted. I don't blame her. She's been through a lot." It was true. Cressa couldn't even remember the last time she slept.

"Well, I'll take her back to my place so she can get some rest. I'll see you guys tomorrow," he told them.

"Alright, have a good one," Ledd said before the three of them went their separate ways.

It didn't take long before Kortz stepped past the cloth that led to his quarters. He sighed, it felt good to be home. He realized that he was pretty tired himself. It had been a trying day! He shuffled over and set Cressa down on his bed. She was already asleep, so he pulled the blanket up over her for her. But now he faced another problem. Where was he going to sleep?

Kortz stepped into the other room in his quarters where he kept his treasures and other belongings. If he moved some things around, he could probably fit another bed in there for Cressa. That way she could have her own room, and some privacy, he thought. He didn't know about humans, but Mogma girls were really particular about their privacy!

Back in the bedroom, Cressa was sleeping soundly. Kortz slouched back over to the bed and knelt down beside her. He laid his head down on the bed and smiled as he watched her sleep. All of a sudden, she started to fidget. "Momma? Papa?" she moaned.

Kortz lifted his head and fixed her with a sad expression. He felt bad for her. He couldn't image what it must be like, to lose everything you've ever know and everyone you've ever cared about. It must be terrible! The poor girl. He reached out a hand and cradled her head, running his fingers through her tangled hair. That seemed to help calm her down, and he smiled. "Don't worry Cressa, I'll take care of you now. I promise," he whispered to her and blew out the lantern.

**There it is, please R & R!**


End file.
